Report of the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations on the Petition of the Honourable Thomas Walpole, Benjamin Franklin, John Sargent, and Samuel Wharton, Esquires, and their Associates / 1772

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Gutenberg ID

26900

Title

Report of the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations on the Petition of the Honourable Thomas Walpole, Benjamin Franklin, John Sargent, and Samuel Wharton, Esquires, and their Associates / 1772

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This 1772 official report examines a petition by Benjamin Franklin and associates seeking a land grant on the Ohio River. The Board of Trade argues against the proposal, citing policy to keep settlements near the coast and protect Indigenous hunting grounds, while countering claims of economic necessity.

Summary up to 500 words

In 1772, the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations issued a formal report rejecting a petition from the Honourable Thomas Walpole, Benjamin Franklin, John Sargent, Samuel Wharton, and their associates. The petitioners sought a royal grant of lands on the River Ohio to establish a new government. The Commissioners firmly declined the request, citing both a breach of faith with Indigenous nations and a violation of established imperial policy. The report's primary argument rests on the Proclamation of 1763, which confined British settlements to the sea coast to preserve Indigenous hunting grounds and maintain the colonies' economic dependence on the Mother Country. The Commissioners emphasized that the requested tract extended significantly beyond the boundary line established by treaties with the Six Nations and the Cherokee Indians. They asserted that the Crown's faith was pledged to these nations, prohibiting settlements beyond the agreed line. While the petitioners argued that the 1763 Proclamation was merely a temporary measure due to a lack of precision, the Commissioners countered that its core purpose was to reserve lands for Indigenous use. They noted that subsequent engagements with Indigenous leaders to fix a precise boundary were intended to avoid rupture and allow lawful settlement only after purchase, not to grant unrestricted access. Economically and politically, the Commissioners dismissed the petitioners' claims that interior lands were superior to the sea coast. They argued that inland settlements were out of reach of advantageous intercourse with Britain, posing political dangers and threatening the commercial strength of the Kingdom. Unlike previous colonies where the Crown bore the cost of civil government and received little to no quit-rents, the petitioners proposed to pay for the lands and cover all government expenses. The Commissioners deemed this financial arrangement highly improper, as it contradicted the historical precedent of Crown support for colonial development. Ultimately, the report concluded that complying with the petition would be unjust to Indigenous allies and detrimental to the strategic and commercial interests of Great Britain.

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